Guide arrangement



P 6, 1969 M. A. PACKETT GUIDE ARRANGEMENT Filed May 28, 1968 1A". 70R.7/7arr/n A. fZc/feii ATTO RN FY United States Patent 3,466,803 GUIDEARRANGEMENT Marvin A. Packett, Detroit, Mich., assignor to GeneralMotors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed May28, 1968, Ser. No. 732,575 Int. Cl. Ed 15/16 US. Cl. 49441 6 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A guide channel includes a pair of arcuateside walls and a pair of flat base walls, one being longitudinallyslotted. A slide member fits within the channel and includes a main bodyportion secured to the window and end portions, each including pairs ofconverging side and base walls which converge with respect to eachother. Ribs on the main body portion have walls which form continuationsof the side walls of the end portions, with the center portions of theseribs engaging the side walls of the channel. Deflectable extensions ofthe ribs also engage the side walls and the main body portion includesabutments to limit rotation of the slide member about an axislongitudinally of the channel. The converging pairs of walls of the endportions limit rotation of the slide member about axes transverse of thepairs of walls of the channel.

This invention relates to a slide and guide arrangement for guiding themovement of vehicle body windows between open and closed positions.

conventionally, vehicle body windows are guided during their movementbetween open and closed positions by guide channels which receive guiderollers secured to the window. This arrangement works well but hascertain disadvantages when the window moves through a curvilinear path,such as the path of movement of a complex curved door window. Such acurvilinear path requires curvilinear shaped guide channels, and thisoften leads to binding and guidance problems.

The slide and guide arrangement of this invention obviates any bindingand guidance problems by providing a slide member which may move aboutany one of a plurality of axes with respect to the guide channel and anycombination of these axes within predetermined limits. Further, only alimited area of the slide member contacts the channel to reduce bindingand any wall of the slide member which engages the channel upon rotationof the slide member within the channel is shaped so as to limit bindingto a minimum.

It is accordingly, therefore, the primary object of this invention toprovide a slide and guide arrangement for vehicle body windows whichpermits movement of a slide member within a guide channel about variousaxes and any combination of such axes wi hin predetermined limits.Another object of this invention is to provide such an arrangementwherein the contact area between the slide member and channel is minimaland yet the slide member is stabilized within the channel so as to movetherewithin upon movement of the window. A further object of thisinvention is to provide such an arrangement wherein the limitation ofmovement of the slide member with respect to the channel is set byengagement of portions of the slide member with the channel.

These and other objects of the guide arrangement of this invention willbe readily apparent from the following specification and drawingswherein:

FIGURE 1 is a partially broken away partial view of a vehicle body doormounting a vertically movable window guided by a slide and guidearrangement according to this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the planeindicated by line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged partially broken away view taken generally alongthe plane indicated by line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a partially broken away view taken generally along the planeindicated by line 44 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the slide member.

Referring now particularly to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, a vehicle bodydoor 10 of conventional structure includes a door inner panel 12 and adoor outer panel, not shown, which is hem flanged to the inner panel ina conventional manner to provide a window receiving well 14 within thedoor. A vehicle door window 16 is movable between an open position, asshown, and a closed position, not shown, wherein the window is disposedwithin the door in the well 14.

A conventional cross arm type window regulator 18 is mounted on the doorinner panel by a back plate 20 and by a cam channel 22. The arms of thewindow regulator are pivotally and slidably connected at their upperends in a conventional manner to a guide channel 24 secured to amounting plate 26 which is bolted to the window 16. Suitable operatingmeans are provided for the regulator 18 so that upon movement of thelift arm thereof the window 16 will move between its open and closedpositions.

Front and rear guide channels 28 and 30, respectively, mounted on thedoor inner panel and slide members 32 mounted on the plate 26 cooperateto provide a guide arrangement according to this invention and controlthe fore-and-aft and lateral movement of the window 16 as it is movedbetween its open and closed positions. Since each guide channel is ofthe same cross section, although of different longitudinal shape, andeach slide member 32 is the same, only the channel 30 and one of theslide members will be particularly described.

As best shown in FIGURE 2, the channel 30 includes a base wall 34, apair of spaced oppositely opening arcuate side walls 36, and a base wall38 slotted longitudinally of the channel 38.

The slide member 32 includes a body portion 40 and a pair of endportions 42, each extending oppositely of the other longitudinally ofthe slide member. The side walls 44 of each end portion taperconvergently toward each other and the base walls 46 of each end portionlikewise taper convergently toward each other from the juncture of thesewalls with the main body portion, as can be seen in FIGURES 3 through 5,and terminate at end walls 48. The main body portion 40 includesoppositely opening pairs of recesses which provide a pair of oppositelyextending ribs 50. The side wall of each rib has a center portion 54 andside portions 56 which taper oppositely from the center portion and formcontinuations of the side walls 44 of the end portions 42. A pair ofstabilizers or extensions 58 extend laterally from the base walls ofeach rib. Each stabilizer is of arcuate cross section longitudinally ofthe slide member as can be seen in FIGURE 3, and it will be noted,FIGURE 5, that only the center portions of the stabilizers are coplanarwith the center portion 54 of the side wall of the rib from which theyextend.

A pair of abutments 60 extend from one side of the main body portion.The abutments are located on diametrically opposite sides of acountersunk bore 62 which extends through the main body portion 40 andalso through a hub portion 64 which extends from the other side of themain body portion.

A headed stud 66 is received within the bore 62 and the reduced diameterend of the stud is headed over the plate 26 to nonrotatably secure theslide member 32 to the plate 26.

When the slide member 32 is received within the channel 30, the centerportions 54 or ribs 50 engage the side walls 36 of the channel andlikewise the center portions of the stabilizers 58 also engage thechannel side walls. The stabilizers are deformed transversely of theirnormal curvature so that the center portions thereof will conform to thecurvature of the walls 36, as shown in FIGURE 2. It can be seen thatnormally only minimum areas of the slide member engage the side walls 36and that there is no engagement between the slide member and the basewalls 34 and 38.

During operation of the window regulator 18 and movement of the window16, the slide member 32 can rotate within predetermined limits aboutvarious axes or combination of axes and still cooperate with the guidechannel to guide movement of the window without binding. The slidemember 32 can rotate about an axis transverse of the walls 34 and 38until diagonally opposite side walls 44 of the end portions engage theside walls 36 of the channel. However, this engagement will not have anybinding effect on movement of the window. Likewise, the slide member 32can rotate about an axis transverse of the walls 36 until diagonallyopposite base walls 46 of each end portion engage the side walls 36 toprovide a predetermined limit to the movement. Again, there will be nobinding of the slide member within the channel.

Should the slide member rotate about an axis longitudinally of thechannel 30, movement in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 2,will be limited by engagement of the left-hand abutment 60 with the wall34, and movement in a counterclockwise direction will be limited byengagement of the other hand abutment 60 with the wall 34 so that,again, a predetermined, limit is set for such movement.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that the slide member andchannel cooperate to permit limited rotational movement of the windowrelative to the channel about an axis transverse of the side walls ofthe channel, transverse of base walls of the channel, longitudinally ofthe channel, and any combination of such axes, to thereby provide forsubstantially universal movement of the window relative to the channelwhile still maintaining guiding engagement of the slide member with thechannel without any binding. During such movement, only a limited areaof the slide member normally engages the channel and the stabilizers 58stabilize the guide member to ensure that a sufiicient area ofengagement between the slide member and the channel is present at alltimes.

With reference to FIGURE 1, it will be noted that the slide members 32are arranged in pairs since this improves the stability of the windowlaterally of the guide channels 28 and 30 and also provides for improvedfore-and-aft stability of the window as it moves between its open andclosed positions.

Thus this invention provides an improved slide and guide arrangement forguiding the movement of vehicle body windows.

I claim:

1. A slide and guide arrangement for guiding movement of vehicle bodywindows comprising, in combination, an elongate guide channel having apair of transversely arcuate spaced side walls opening to each other anda pair of spaced base walls joined to the side walls, one base wallhaving an elongated slot therein, a slide member received within thechannel and including a main body portion and a pair of longitudinallyextending end portions, each extending oppositely of the other, the sidewalls of each end portion tapering convergently of each other fromjuncture thereof with the main body portion,

the main body portion including a pair of oppositely extending ribs,'theside wall of each rib having a center portion and side portions taperingoppositely from the center portion, each side portion forming acontinuation of a side wall of an end portion, the center portions ofthe rib side walls seating on the channel side walls, diagonallyopposite side walls of the end portions being engageable with thechannel side walls to limit rotation of the slide member about an axistransverse of the channel base walls, and stabilizer means extendinglaterally from each rib and conforming to the curvature of the channelside walls to stabilize the slide member upon rotation thereof about anaxis longitudinally of the channel.

2. A slide and guide arrangement for guiding movement of vehicle bodywindows comprising, in combination, an elongate guide channel having apair of trans versely arcuate spaced side walls opening to each otherand a pair of spaced base walls joined to the side walls, one base Wallhaving an elongated slot therein, a slide member received within thechannel and including a main body portion and a pair of longitudinallyextending end portions, each extending oppositely of the other andincluding a pair of base walls and a pair of side walls, the walls ofeach pair tapering convergently of each other from juncture thereof withthe main body portion, the main body portion including a pair ofoppositely extending ribs, the side wall of each rib having a centerportion and side portions tapering oppositely from the center portion,each side portion forming a continuation of a side wall of an endportion, the center portions of the rib side walls seating on thechannel side walls, diagonally opposite side walls of the end portionsbeing engageable with the channel side walls to limit rotation of theslide member about an axis transverse of the channel base walls,diagonally opposite base walls of the end portions being engageable withthe channel base walls to limit rotation of the slide member about anaxis transverse of the channel side walls, and stabilizer meansextending laterally from each rib and conforming to the curvature of thechannel side walls to stabilize the slide member uponrotation thereofabout an axis longitudinally of the channel.

3. A slide and guide arrangement for guiding movement of vehicle bodywindows comprising, in combination, an elongate guide channel having apair of transversely arcuate spaced side walls opening to each other anda pair of spaced base walls joined to the side walls, one base wallhaving an elongated slot therein, a slide member received within thechannel and including an apertured main body portion having a coaxiallyapertured hub movable within the base wall slot and a pair oflongitudinally extending end portions, each extending oppositely of theother and including a pair of base walls and a pair of side walls, thewalls of each pair tapering convergently of each other from juncturethereof with the main body portion, the main body portion including apair of oppositely extending ribs, each having a pair of base walls anda side wall, the side wall of each rib having a center portion and sideportions tapering oppositely from the center portion, each side portionforming a continuation of a side wall of an end portion, the centerportions of the rib side walls seating on the channel side walls,diagonally opposite side walls of the end portions being engageable withthe channel side walls to limit ro tation of the slide member about anaxis transverse of the channel base walls, diagonally opposite basewalls of the end portions being engageable with the channel base wallsto limit rotation of the slide member about an axis transverse of thechannel side walls, a stabilizer member extending laterally from eachrib base wall adjacent the side wall center portion of the rib andconforming to the curvature of the channel side walls to stabilize theslide member upon rotation thereof about an axis longitudinally of thechannel, and a stud received within the apertures of the main bodyportion and hub to secure the slide member to a window.

4. The combination recited in claim 3 wherein the body member includesspaced abutment means adjacent the aperture therein to limit rotationalmovement of the slide member about the axis longitudinally of thechannel.

5. The combination recited in claim 3 wherein each stabilizer member isa relatively thin extension of the rib and has a normal curvatureopposite to that of the channel side walls.

6. The combination recited in claim 5 wherein the slide member is formedof plastic material and the main body portion, end portions andextensions are formed integral with each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Sturtevant et a1. 49-428 X 0DAVID J. WlLLIAMO-WSKY, Primary Examiner J. KARL BELL, AssistantExaminer US. Cl. X.R.

